Banjo



Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,020

I c. L. w. NELSON BANJO Filed Oct 0, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug 11, 1925.

C. L. WQ NELSON BANJO 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 1923 d 4 t F M etented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ounce.

CARL I]. W. NELSON, OF I BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNO B TO THE VEGA COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. I

Application filed October 30, 1928. Serial No. 671,649.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL L.-W. Nelson, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Banjos, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature. The present invention relates to an improvement in banjos or similar stringed instruments. The object of the invention is to improve the instrument both structurally and. in point of tone-giving quality, all of which can best be seen and understood by referonce to the drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan of the improved banjo.

Fig. 2 is a. cross section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig-d is a plan of an element of construction to which reference will later be made.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the body of the banjo, 2 the neck and 3 a crossbar or brace extending crosswise through the chamber of the body reinforcing it and assisting in the retention of the neck.

Mounted upon the top edge of the body is a ring 4, preferably a hollow ring with a series of openings 5 on the interior side thereof. the the ring 4. is mounted a band wire 6. Turned inwardly over and around this wire is a guard 7 which entends'dowu wardiy by the rin 4: actin as a backing therefor, and onto the body, t e bottom edge of the guard into an incision 8 in the top edge portion of the body.

9 represents the shin or vellum which turned to extend downwardly around the guard l and bears a shin hoop 10 against winch a tension ring ll which is adapted be drarm .Jirrst the hoop l0 tor stretch and ining the and other wise ding the earts together to force a unitary structure.

The sion ii is 6969," shin 3 10 by me i l2 which extend r sci-Jew 1d a bond or hoop it encircling the body of the ban'o with ing against a shoulder 16 t ereon. The clamps are retained by means of nuts 17 threaded upon the end thereof with beering against the under sides of the brackets 13 through which the clamps extend or rather against certain parts or elements later to be referred to interposed between the nuts and brackets and there held fixed when are tightened. I l g 18. represents the resonator back to the body of the instrument. This back is lar er diametrically than the body and is provi ed with a turned edge or rim 19. For retaining the back a stirrup 20 is passed around the crossbar 3 and to this stirrup is secured a crosspiece 21 hearing an elongated nut 22. Into this nut fastens a screw 23 passed through the back and throu h a block 2i with which the back is reintorced. When the screw is tightened the block 24: is drawn tightly against thehead of the nut, thereby securely fastening the back to the crossbar.

When the back is thus fastened it extends outwardly beyond the adjacent edge of the body olthe instrument and is spacedtherefrom to leave a clearance 25, this clearance communicating with the clearance 26 left the nuts between the body and the rim 1%) to the back, which laps by the back, the clearance 26 being preferably of some appreciable extent.

Bridging the clearance 26 partially closing this clearance and providing also a rigid connection between the body and the ad jacent'rim 19 to the back, thereby assisting in the support of the back, are a series of flanges 73'. Each of these flanges comprises a body portion 28 having a hole 29 in it. The forward edge portion oi the flange is provided with a slot or recess 30. The rear portion of the flange is preferably narrowed to provide an extension 31. lunch or the flanges 2? is borne by one of the clamps which through. the hole 29 in the dance with the lying between a bracaet it? on the body oi. the histrunoent and the nut ll by which the clamp fastened. "llhen the l? is htened or i held bot ll Mil

bracket 13. Those portions oi the tlange either side of the slot will bear snugly against the hoop 15 encircling the body of the instrument while the rear portion 31 of the flange will rest on the top edge of the rim to the back, the rim being preferabliy formed with an annular shoulder 32 provi ing a rest for the various flanges.

Thus positioned each flange will, to the extent of its area, close the space or clearance 26 between the body of the instrument and the rim 19 to the back, and the area or dimensions of the flanges may be changed as desired. Thenumber of the flanges may also be varied. While flanges are shown fastended to all the clamps, yet flanges may be secured to a less number of clamps or other variations employed. In fact, the fitting permits of numerous variations for improving the tone quality of the instrument as may be found most desirable.

The flanges 27 provide also a rigid support for the outer edge portion or rim 19 of the resonator back and against which the rim bears, for when the screw 23 is tightened for securing the back to the crossbar 3 the rim will be forced by the draw of the screw firmly against the various flanges which then provide a series of rigid bridges between the body of the instrument and the back and thereby assist in the formation of a practically unitary vibratory structure, all of which assists in improvin the instrument both structurally and in point of tone-giving quality Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A banjo havin a body, a vellum head, means interposed %etween the bod and head over which the head is stretc ed, a back larger diametrically than said body and provided Witha rim, means for stretching said head and securing it to said body comprising a series of clamps, each being pro vided with a tightening nut, means for fixin said back to occupy a spaced relationship to said body with said rim lapping by the body and spaced therefrom, and a series of elements arranged upon certain of said clamps and retained by the tightening nuts on said clamps partially filling the space between the bod and rim.

2. A banjo avin a body, a vellum head means interposed etween the body and head over which the head is stretched, a back larger diametrically than said body and provided with a rim, means for stretching said head and securing it to said body comprising a series of clamps, each being provided with a tightening nut, means for fixing said back to occupy a spaced relationship to said body with said rim lapping by the body and spaced therefrom, and a series of elements arranged upon certain of said clamps. and retained by the tightening nuts on said clamps partially filling the space between the body and rim and against which elements said rim has bearing;

CARL L. W. NELSON. 

